Origin

[Thursday Next]

If I knew anything about EA, I'd say that this is going to be their most important announcement at E3...

 

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/gaming/2011/06/03/ea-to-launch-new-digital-distribution-platf/1

[deanb]

Don't they have the EA store already? It does kinda sound like they're just moving the EA store into client form. If they're making a client they need some good features on top of just selling games.

Also maybe having more than EA games too. Which I can't see being too likely.

[Yantelope]

Digital distribution is the future like it or not. I don't really see how any company is going to overthrow steam though.

[Thursday Next]

Don't they have the EA store already? It does kinda sound like they're just moving the EA store into client form. If they're making a client they need some good features on top of just selling games.

Also maybe having more than EA games too. Which I can't see being too likely.

 

They do have EA Store already. Origin is so much more than that. Features will be announced at E3 (if not later today). EDIT: Or now... http://www.ea.com/news/electronic-arts-launches-origin

 

Steam started off just being a patch tool for CS. It didn't take long before it was selling third party titles...

Edited June 3, 2011 by Thursday Next

[Cyber Rat]

With Origin you will get access to the best content EA has to offer, across multiple platforms, anytime you want.

 

This line made me wonder if owning a game on one platform would enable you to own it on another. At least between PC and consoles (I doubt it would be possible to buy a game for Xbox and have it for the PS3). Or at least pay some smaller fee to access the game you already own on another platform.

 

I doubt EA would do that, but it would be a nice direction for the digital era.

[deanb]

Don't they have the EA store already? It does kinda sound like they're just moving the EA store into client form. If they're making a client they need some good features on top of just selling games.

Also maybe having more than EA games too. Which I can't see being too likely.

 

They do have EA Store already. Origin is so much more than that. Features will be announced at E3 (if not later today). EDIT: Or now... http://www.ea.com/ne...launches-origin

 

Steam started off just being a patch tool for CS. It didn't take long before it was selling third party titles...

 

And mobile phones started off as just being able to do Voice calls. If it wants to compete with Steam it needs to be more than Steam now, not Steam in 2004. And using it's doomed MMO isn't really a great bargaining chip to entice people to use it. If I want EA games then http://store.steampo...ectronic%20Arts. What is Origin going to offer on top of that? Unless it's significantly cheaper then there's not much point. And EADM isn't really an encouraging start.

 

Step one would be making sure the service isn't running on EA's servers that currently seem to be crushed under the effort to display a single webpage

I'm off out house hunting, let's see how well it runs when I'm back.

 

@Cyber: Given it's said to be a PC focuse I'd guess it's multi-plat in the say way Steam was in 2010, Windows n Mac

[deanb]

 

 

So on the pricing (this is stuff on the front page) it's not doing too great.

 

Where this link eastore.ea.com/ goes kinda gives away that "They do have EA Store already. Origin is so much more than that."...not really. It even has "Like EA Store on Facebook" in the corner. This is the Origin twitter account. The site layout is pretty much the exact same as the EA Store was and thus completely fucked unless you want to buy Sims, Battlefield or Need for Speed games cos that's still the only options given for browsing the store.

 

I'd give comments on the client but as there's seemingly no way to download it and "Learn More" takes you to a forever loading page here http://www.origin.com/language which seems a mighty weird URL for a download of a client.

 

I'm sorry if it seems I'm raggin too much but Steam has been around for 9 years now and no one in the entire fucking games industry, including guys as big as MS n EA, seem to have any fucking idea how to compete with it let alone surpass it. It's not like some of it's even that hard. They fuck up on simple stuff like charging 60 fucking quid for Bulletstorm.

 

How to beat Steam:

• Match or beat it's prices. Steam is well known for their cheap games and frequent sales.
• Do things Steam doesn't. i.e Steams non-steam game support is pretty crappy and no Android/iOS Apps.
• Have a few free games on hand. I.e this, just don't put the points cards ahead of the game
• Have more than one publisher or service. Don't limit to EA games or only GFW certified games. Steam will accept most anything.
• Maybe get much more friendly with Indies. XBLIG but for PC. Steam is semi-friendly but still snubs many.
• When (re)launching your service don't fuck up. Regarding EA Store Origin and GFW they kinda fucked on that aspect now.
• At least match it in features: Infinite downloads, screens, social features, in-game etc.

Probably a few other stuff too, but given EA n MS seem oblivious to half of the ones I put up I'm sure missing a few won't hurt.

 

 

edit: The "Learn More" page has no finally loaded:

Your EA account is now called an Origin Account..

 

Origin is the new name of the EA Store.

 

The EA Download Manager is also now called Origin..

 

 

So yeah it's just a service that's generally considered subpar changing it's name and calling itself a relaunch. Like a Dalmatian making a big fuss that it's now completely changing and calling itself a leopard. It's still white with black spots, howls at cars and humps your leg, but it's now calling itself Leopard.

 

edit 2: Fucking formatting. Lets try n make the top bit work.

edit 3: FFFFFUUUU

edit4: Replaced with image instead. Also arranged games on price. Btw all the currently green games for Origin are on sale. They're all £35 normally.

[LaunchOctopus]

The thing is..and this kinda sounds like I'm handing monopoly to Steam, but I don't want to be doing my games-related social networking and such across multiple clients, they'd have to offer something really great, are they only going to sell EA games (probably a stupid question I guess)

[Pirandello]

I think I'd rather stick with Steam.

 

I doubt EA will be keen on having insane 75+% off summer sales, and Steam has a greater userbase anyways (where all of my friends are at).

 

So I think I'll be sticking with Steam. Yeah.

Edited June 3, 2011 by Pirandello

[Hocking]

I'm currently downloading Origin to see what happens when I log in with my existing EA account. I'd be more interested in the software if it had options for managing the licences for the EA games that have machine limits thanks to SecuSHIT, which as far as I know so far, it doesn't.

 

As it stands though, I'm not going to be buying anything through Origin unless there is some kind of overwhelming incentive. For example, say The Old Republic goes with regional servers; If buying through Origin allowed you to play on any region, then I'd buy that instead of going retail. That probably wouldn't happen though.

 

I agree with pretty much everything you've said so far Dean, although my mind keeps wondering in the direction of Impulse as well as GFWL. The only reason I ever install Impulse is to update Sins of a Solar Empire, the expansions for which I've refused to buy through Impulse and only got them when the Trinity pack came out. Everyone I know with Impulse installed is the same, the only reason they install it is for SoSE. I can't help but wonder if Origin is going to be a one trick pony like Impulse, in that lots of people using it are using it purely because of The Old Republic.

 

 

Edit; This is right at the top of the EULA.

 

ELECTRONIC ARTS

SOFTWARE END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT

FOR ORIGIN™ APPLICATION AND RELATED SERVICES (FORMERLY CALLED “THE EA DOWNLOAD MANAGER”)

 

Talk about bad first impressions.

 

Edit 2;

 

You agree that EA may collect, use, store and transmit technical and related information that identifies your computer (including the Internet Protocol Address), operating system, Application usage (including but not limited to successful installation and/or removal), software, software usage and peripheral hardware, that may be gathered periodically to facilitate the provision of software updates, dynamically served content, product support and other services to you, including online services. EA may also use this information combined with personal information for marketing purposes and to improve our products and services. We may also share that data with our third party service providers in a form that does not personally identify you. IF YOU DO NOT WANT EA TO COLLECT, USE, STORE, TRANSMIT OR DISPLAY THE DATA DESCRIBED IN THIS SECTION, PLEASE DO NOT INSTALL OR USE THE APPLICATION.

 

*Clicks cancel and deletes the installation executable.

Edited June 3, 2011 by Hocking

[deanb]

I never brought up Impulse cos it recently changed hands to Gamestop. So waiting to see what they do. Seems at the moment to be small changes like allowing Steamworks enabled games on.

[Hocking]

Ooh, I didn't know about that, could be interesting.

[Mal]

Step one would be making sure the service isn't running on EA's servers that currently seem to be crushed under the effort to display a single webpage

A bit out of topic but... I was delivering a HDD to EA early in the morning. These HDDs are usually for servers. I wonder what I help destroy by them using a HP/Compac part fix.

[Yantelope]

@Dean, Your list of features is good in order to make the service comparable to steam but if you want to get people to switch from steam you really need to have a compelling feature. I have no idea what that would be.

[deanb]

@Dean, Your list of features is good in order to make the service comparable to steam but if you want to get people to switch from steam you really need to have a compelling feature. I have no idea what that would be.

 

Thing is most aren't even comparable yet. As for the compelling feature I guess we'll see it when we see it.

[Vargras]

@Dean, Your list of features is good in order to make the service comparable to steam but if you want to get people to switch from steam you really need to have a compelling feature. I have no idea what that would be.

 

Thing is most aren't even comparable yet. As for the compelling feature I guess we'll see it when we see it.

 

They're gonna have to do a lot to try and make it appealing. Steam already has Steam Guard, Steam Cloud, and the daily sales.

[deanb]

Steam cloud, no a service that did cloud saves for any game would be neat. atm I use GameSave Manager with Dropbox.

 

I think the issue of the other stores is they look at Steam and see a store,so they make a store. We look at Steam and see a service. And that's where Steam has it's steely claws in the users. Our interaction with it doesn't stop at the buying of a game. I bought a couple games from D2D n I downloaded them n that was the end of my contact with them. But Steam has a robust community side, it's got the handy in-game stuff.

Of course there's also 30million+ users who already get that stuff through Steam, so any preceding service would need to have that and them something a little extra on top. Either a killer game (I'm still doubting SWTOR will be it) or another killer feature.

[Saturnine Tenshi]

Eh, this is Electronic Arts(silly name, I know... "arts"). If by some grace of the Maiden Sundered they make this usable, it still would have to be damn fine to turn me from Steam/GamersGate.

[deanb]

Just checked back now and turns out they've updated the entire thing. Surely that would have been worth doing before they launched it?

 

The client looks nice. Lot's of white space though. Steam has a ton of negative space too, but it's just not as obvious. The front page feels very empty. Also clicking on a game in the carousel up top does nothing. Back n forward buttons don't work.

 

The game pages are very sparse. Just a screenshot, box art, system specs n a blurb. No trailers or anything like that. I had a hunt and found no demos.

 

The Connect options are fucked up. Took a while for it to decide to tell me that my email n password weren't wrong, just that PSN was down at the time. And It won't connect to live cos supposedly it's linked to another EA account.... (Why do I feel this is some issue with them bringing Bioware accounts together with EA accounts?) I do like that the friends list is right up there on the side at all times, but given none of the Connect features work it's a bit pointless.

 

Games are filtered under "Best Shooters" or "The Sims 3" which seems an odd filter, but hey.

They're obviously not trying to compete with Steam on the price front given their bargain range is "Games under £20" as opposed to "Games under £7/£4"

 

Anyway I'm deanbmmv if anyone wants to add. I have a fire guy for an avatar because you're only allowed pre sanctioned avatars from EA games. Hooray.

 

Overall it's certainly worthy of the beta moniker and largely useless and irrelevant. If the connect features worked that might be one thing over Steam, but they don't so...

 

p.s this is in regards to the client. I got a bit side tracked once I got hte client in regards to the site:

 

Why are all the trailers relegated to the main site, and the games to the client. Why not combine the two. Or something?

 

 

edit: okay so I hit "visit the store" on the website, and it's a different store. It's essentially the old EA Store under Origin. Why are the client and the website two different things? There's no consistency at all.

[Mercurial]

There's game under $10 here.

[deanb]

If the connect features worked that might be one thing over Steam, but they don't so...

 

http://store.steampowered.com/news/5644/

 

Well that's one less thing.

[deanb]

And they've started yanking games from Steam.

 

One reaction:

 

 

"Hey John, I got this great idea""Lets hear it"

 

"Ya know Steam? That popular digital download service for PC games that averages 3 million peak users a day."

 

"Yes I do, as you know this year is PC heavy with TOR and BF3"

 

"Yeah, lets not use it."

 

"Hmmmm....BRILLIANT!"

 

 

They are really heavily banking that people really really want these games so much they'll go through Origin. Given the current DLC ill will I can't see it going down too well. People like to buy games through Steam, if your game isn't on Steam it can have a heavy effect on sales. MS had GFW Marketplace and even they conceded to Steam n put up Fable 3. BF3 is getting quite a lot of PC love of late, so maybe it will work out for them. But it is a pretty huge gamble. Given they already had a transition of putting their games on Steam a year or so ago it's a bit weird their thoughts would change and they'd pull out again.

[TheRevanchist]

Yep. And don't forget, EA Sports is also doing something with trying to open some retail outfits. I'm a bit of a pessimist when it comes to entering new markets. Who knows? Could turn out okay.

 

Not going to say it is right or wrong, but they did design the games.

[Mister Jack]

So I already had the EA downloader on my PC because I used it to get Crysis 2 at a cheaper price using an EA coupon. I updated it to Origin for shits and gigs. It asks me if I want to change my username. Yeah, that's a good idea. I don't want my email to be how people know me in every game I play. All my ideas for names are taken, though, so I just decide I'll change it later and move on.

 

As it turns out, you can't change your name. I had to talk to two different tech support people to get them to basically delete the User ID so I could start again from scratch. So fair warning to anyone who might end up using Origin eventually. Unlike steam, once you pick a name, it's your name forever.

[deanb]

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-06-15-ea-origin-compares-to-xbl-psn-steam

 

"[Origin is] not just a retail site, it's a community, it's a platform, it has traits much like you see with Steam or PSN or Xbox Live, but it's unique to EA," concluded Gibeau.

 

"it has traits much like you see with Steam or PSN or Xbox Live, but it's unique to EA," concluded Gibeau.

 

but it's unique to EA," concluded Gibeau.

 

And there's the stinger n where it falls apart.

 

Also what's funny is they don't have to pay any licensing fees to the likes of Steam n co, but their prices are still higher. How does that work?